HOMETOWN hero Paul Lawrie scraped through after struggling on the greens and hopes to improve in front of his fellow Aberdonians.

HOME favourite Paul Lawrie was relieved to get a second chance to play all four rounds in front of his fellow Aberdonians after scraping inside the cut late on Friday.

Now the former Open hero believes he’ll finish with a flourish if he can finally get some life from his ice-cold putter.

Lawrie had expected to be spending the weekend at his Bieldside home while 20 minutes along the road the biggest golf show ever to hit the Granite City was raging on without him.

However, when the wind kicked up on Friday afternoon the cut moved back from level par to his two-over scoreline.

The 45-year-old was back on the links this morning, albeit only to encounter similar frustrations with the short stick.

Lawrie, who carded a level-par 71, said: “I had two single putts today, one from eight feet and one from two feet. So it’s just the same as it has been.

“I played nicely again, played really, really well but I just can’t get the ball in the hole. But it’s nice to get two more days at it here.

“I was at home putting all afternoon on Friday. I normally putt for 15 or 20 minutes then go inside and watch the telly and then go back out and do another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the cut line slowly but surely started getting closer and closer until I got in.

“I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t think two-over would get in since when we got in it was 89th place. It’s unusual for 20-odd guys to drop back in the afternoon but that shows you how good the back nine is when it gets a certain wind.

“It would be great to finish with a flourish – that’s the plan. I’m hitting the ball well enough and swinging nicely but I need to hole some putts. I’ve had two or three bad breaks again today where it just beggars belief how the ball can go where it’s gone.

“I hit a seven-iron at the sixth straight down the pin, it’s landed on the flat and kicked straight left up a hill with no shot.

“That’s the kind of stuff that’s happening at the minute. I’m not saying other golfers don’t get that but at the minute it just seems to be every day it’s the most I could shoot by about four shots.

“But that’s golf for you, especially links golf.”

Alastair Forsyth was another to benefit from a lower cut line and he was heartened by a one-under par 70 that shows signs of improvement in his game.

He said: “I didn’t deserve to make the cut so I was delighted the wind got up as it’s given me the chance to play the weekend.

“I’m not looking at leaderboards. I’m quite happy to go out and feel that I’m hitting good shots because that’s the first time for a while.

“If I can play like that again in the last round and take out the daft mistakes then maybe I could make a strong finish.”